The Executive Team
Lisa Henson
CEO
Chris Lytton
President & COO
Laurie Don
Executive Vice President & CFO
Halle Stanford
President, Television
Nicole Goldman
Executive Vice President, Branding
Joe Henderson
Executive Vice President, Worldwide Administration
Debra Shapiro
Senior Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs
Peter Brooke
Creative Supervisor, Jim Henson's Creature Shop™
Melissa Segal
Head of Global Consumer Products
Aileen Asher
Vice President, Financial Operations and Reporting
Tara Billik
Vice President, Feature Films
Faryal Ganjehei
Vice President Studio Operations, Henson Recording Studio
Terri McAlpine
Vice President, Human Resources
Kerry Novick
Vice President, Global Distribution
Jason Renfro
Vice President Financial Operations and Reporting
Howard Sharp
Vice President Administration
Karen Falk
Archives
Kourtney Day
Senior Director of New Business Development, Jim Henson's Creature Shop
Lisa Henson
CEO
As CEO of The Jim Henson Company, Lisa Henson oversees all television and feature film production, from early development through post-production. She most recently served as producer of the critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio for Netflix and executive produced the feature film The Portable Door for MGM+, as well as the Emmy-winning Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock and Harriet the Spy, both for Apple TV+. Lisa’s many television credits include the Emmy®-winning series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and the popular Word Party, both for Netflix, as well as the Emmy-nominated PBS KIDS series Sid the Science Kid, Dinosaur Train, and Splash and Bubbles.
Lisa’s feature credits include Sony Pictures Animation’s The Star, Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, as well as MirrorMask, The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz, Good Boy!, and Henson Alternative’s The Happytime Murders. She is currently developing the highly anticipated sequel to the classic fantasy film Labyrinth, and The Conductors in partnership with Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit Entertainment.
Prior to her current position, Lisa was President of Columbia Pictures where she oversaw a string of critical and commercial successes including Little Women (1994), Immortal Beloved, and Ang Lee’s Oscar®-winning Sense and Sensibility. Before joining Columbia Pictures, Lisa served as an executive at Warner Bros. for ten years.
Lisa was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Greenwich, CT and Westchester Country, NY. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Folklore and Mythology from Harvard University, where she was the first female president of The Harvard Lampoon.
Chris Lytton
President & COO
Chris Lytton is the President and COO of The Jim Henson Company. Based in Los Angeles, Mr. Lytton oversees the Company’s day-to-day operations, including business affairs, distribution, and consumer products. He also focuses on exploring new lines of business and joint ventures, including opportunities with China and other international markets.
Prior to joining The Jim Henson Company in 2016, Lytton served as COO at Route One Entertainment, a limited partner in a $120 million dollar media fund with credits including Free State of Jones and Tallulah. He was also co-head and COO of Exclusive Media’s film production group handling the financing, talent and distribution agreements on projects like Rush, Dark Places, and Begin Again and co-managing the company’s catalog of 600 films.
Mr. Lytton is a native Angeleno and graduated Cum Laude from the UCLA School of Theater Film and Television and then attended the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in Texas with an academic scholarship, where he distinguished himself by becoming a member of a law review journal and moot court.
Laurie Don
Executive Vice President & CFO
Laurie Don joined The Jim Henson Company as Vice President of Financial Operations in 2004. Based in Los Angeles, Ms. Don is responsible for the worldwide financial activities of the Company, including Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™ and the Henson Recording Studios in addition to production, distribution and licensing. Additionally, she advises senior management on key financial and operational issues.
Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Don was Controller at Lucas Digital, LTD (Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound), heading up Production Finance, Financial Planning, General Accounting, Payroll, and Business Systems. Her previous experience also includes Controller at Tele-TV and Director, Financial Controls at Warner Bros. Studio Facilities.
Ms. Don received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film Studies from University of Illinois in Champaign and earned her first screen credit while completing the coursework for a Master of Fine Arts degree in Cinematography from Columbia University. Ms. Don received her accounting degree from Baruch College, New York while working for GTN Productions, Inc., making documentary films focusing on ethnic-American traditions. She then went on to earn her CPA working with Deloitte and Touche in New York.
Halle Stanford
President, Television
Brand Builder, Creator, Executive Producer, and Primetime Emmy® Award-winning television producer, Halle Stanford, President of Television at The Jim Henson Company, leads the Company’s development and production of all television, home entertainment, and digital media in animated and live-action formats.
Stanford recently executive produced the Emmy Award-winning series Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock!, the short form series Fraggle Rock: Rock On!, Slumberkins (based on the popular book and therapy toy line), and Harriet the Spy (based on the classic children’s book series), all for Apple TV+, as well as the Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, for which she won an Emmy Award. Her recent children’s programming executive producer credits include: Duff Goldman’s Happy Fun Bake Time ,the first kid’s cooking show for discovery+/Food Network; The Dinosaur Train Movie for Universal Entertainment and PBS KIDS®; the Emmy-nominated series Dinosaur Train on PBS KIDS; the award-winning Netflix Original Word Party and spin off series Word Party Presents: Math!; the groundbreaking marine biology series Splash and Bubbles for PBS KIDS; the NBCUniversal Kids/CBC animated series Dot., based on Randi Zuckerberg’s popular book; and the NBCUniversal/Hulu Original preschool show Doozers, inspired by the wildly popular characters from the classic series Fraggle Rock. Stanford’s award-winning credits also include the Emmy®-nominated Sid the Science Kid which she created for PBS KIDS; the Emmy-nominated Netflix series Julie’s Greenroom starring Julie Andrews; the live-action puppet series Me and My Monsters for the CBBC and Network Ten in Australia; Hi Opie!, an award-winning preschool series with Marble Media and TVO; the Lifetime live-action holiday special Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow, as well as the Emmy-nominated Sprout preschool series Pajanimals.
Stanford cowrote the episode “The World of Tomorrow” for Harriet the Spy, inspired by her father’s passion for photography, and is currently developing her original preschool series Wowzabout! for The Jim Henson Company. She is also in development on a compelling new slate of television projects including The Kissing Hand, based on the internationally renowned picture book; All-of-a-Kind Family, based on the Sydney Taylor book series that is considered foundational to the development of American Jewish children’s literature; Jellybean Dream Machine created by Caldecott and Newbery Medal-winning poet Kwame Alexander; Hello Magic! created by the award-winning brand HelloLucky!; Lore Olympus, currently the most popular Webtoon with 1.2 billion views and winner of the prestigious Harvey and Eisner Awards; and The Witchlands, based on the popular New York Times best-selling YA book series by Susan Dennard.
Stanford joined The Jim Henson Company in 1993 and worked on beloved Muppet projects like Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets Tonight, Bear in the Big Blue House, Animal Jam, and The Hoobs, as well as the sci-fi cult classic Farscape. In 2000, Stanford founded 7 Crow Stories, her own company specializing in original children’s content, fantasy storytelling, and rebranding classic franchises. Some of her clients over the next three years included Disney Junior, Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers Studios, Classic Media, and The Jim Henson Company. She created and produced Jim Henson’s Animal Jam and Classic Media’s Pat the Bunny, as well as overseeing the production of Krypto the Super Dog and Baby Looney Toons for Warner Brothers Animation. In 2003, Stanford returned to The Jim Henson Company to build up the television and digital franchises of the Company and establish its creative culture following the sale of the Muppets brand to The Walt Disney Company.
Stanford is a Primetime Emmy Award winning, eleven-time Emmy-nominated children’s television producer, recipient of the Cynopsis Top Women In Media Award C Corporate Visionary, Cynopsis Kids !magination Award in Content Leadership, and for the last sixteen years has garnered over 100 honors around the globe for the Company’s programming, including: Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Emmy Awards, The Norman Lear Center’s Sentinel Awards, NAPPA Honors Award – National Parents Publications Awards, Parent’s Choice Awards – Gold Honor, Banff World Media Festival – Rockie Award Grand Prize, Kidscreen Awards – Finalist, Prix Jeunesse Catalogue, Cynopsis Kids – !magination Awards, The Humane Society of The United States – Genesis Awards, Japan Prize, CINE – Golden Eagle Award, and Common Sense Media – 10 Best TV Role Models. She has also judged the International Emmy Kids Awards and the Rockie Awards for Preschool Programming for the Banff World Media Festival.
In addition to creating children’s media, Stanford has co-authored the children’s book series Jim Henson’s Enchanted Sisters, a collection of fantastical comedy-adventure stories published by Bloomsbury. She has written numerous articles on kids and family entertainment for publications such as TBI, PBS Parents, Cynopsis Kids, NAPS, and Mother Magazine. She is a proud mom to two sons (ages 11 and 24!), holds a Bachelor of Arts degrees in Film and Theater from Wesleyan University, is on the board of directors for the Independent Shakespeare Company, proud of her Jewish heritage and on the Advisory Board for the Creative Community for Peace, and is on an endless quest to enrich the lives of children and families around the globe.
Her film and television Executive Producer credits include:
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock!, 2021-2023 (27 eps.)
Slumberkins, 2022-2023 (17 eps.)
Duff Goldman’s Happy Fun Bake Time, 2021 (6 eps.)
Word Party Presents: Math!, 2021/22 (20 eps.)
Harriet the Spy, 2021/22 (20 eps.)
Dinosaur Train Movie, 2021 (90 min.)
Fraggle Rock: Rock On!, 2020 (6 shorts)
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, 2019 (10 eps.)
Dinosaur Train, 2009-2019 (198 eps.)
Sid the Science Kid, 2008-2015 (60 eps.)
Splash and Bubbles, 2016-2018 (80 eps.)
Word Party, 2016-2019 (60 eps.)
Julie’s Greenroom, 2017 (13 eps.)
Dot., 2016-2018 (78 eps.)
Doozers, 2012-2018 (72 eps.)
Hi Opie!, 2014 (78 eps.)
Sid the Science Kid: The Movie, 2012 (75 min.)
Me & My Monsters, 2010-2011 (26 eps.)
Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow, 2015
Pajanimals, 2010-2011 (52 eps.)
Frances, 2008 (6 eps.)
Jim Henson’s Animal Jam, 2003 (30 eps.)
Telling Stories with Tomie DePaola, 2001 (26 eps.)
Nicole Goldman
Executive Vice President,
Branding
Nicole Goldman is the Executive Vice President of Branding at The Jim Henson Company. Goldman oversees the global marketing, promotions, public relations, and social media for all sectors of the Company’s business, including corporate, television, consumer products, home entertainment, international, live theater and digital.
In her current role, Goldman has been instrumental in the successful launches of key brands, including The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Sid the Science Kid, Dinosaur Train, Word Party, and Splash and Bubbles. Under the Henson Alternative label, she oversaw the launch of the live improvisational puppet show, Puppet Up! – Uncensored. Goldman also proudly celebrates the Company’s legacy and the work of its founder Jim Henson with ongoing publicity and promotion of its classic brands like Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth, and The Dark Crystal.
Goldman heads the Company’s efforts in all location-based experiences and live shows including the stage production Jim Henson’s Inspired Silliness for Princess Cruises and traveling museum exhibits for Splash and Bubbles and Dinosaur Train, in partnership with The Magic House in St. Louis.
Goldman works closely with the Company’s consumer products group and distribution department to support licensing partners and broadcasters around the world. She also oversees the Company’s social media platforms, online fan communities, and websites for all brands and businesses. Additionally, she oversees community outreach and educational activities for Henson’s preschool productions.
Goldman began her career with The Jim Henson Company in 1995 and highlights over the years include promotional initiatives with the Muppets at NASCAR, The Muppet Show’s 25th Anniversary, the mini-series Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, a music video with Ben Folds Five and the Fraggles, and many (many!) celebratory events with our amazing fans.
Joe Henderson
Executive Vice President,
Worldwide Adminstration
In his role as Executive Vice President, Worldwide Administration, Joe Henderson oversees the Company’s worldwide administration, facilities, information technology, risk management, and travel. Additionally, he oversees the management and maintenance of the Company’s vast archive and media library which covers over sixty years of TV and film productions.
Based in Los Angeles, Henderson also heads up the business of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™, both in Los Angeles and New York, including the Henson Digital Puppetry Studio as well as the operations of The Henson Soundstage and the Henson Recording Studios, two of the Company’s ancillary businesses. Henson Recording Studios, formerly A&M Records, continues to be one of the music industry’s top recording facilities and is known for its world-class blend of state of the art and vintage equipment. The Henson Soundstage is a Hollywood landmark that is used for both production and private events for the Company as well as third party clients.
Henderson joined The Jim Henson Company in 1986 and previously managed the Company’s well known New York brownstone facility. He relocated to Hollywood in 1999 and oversaw the purchase and subsequent award-winning renovation of the historic Charlie Chaplin Studios which became the Company’s corporate headquarters in 2000.
Debra Shapiro
Senior Vice President,
Business & Legal Affairs
Debra Shapiro joined The Jim Henson Company in 2015 and is responsible for negotiating, documenting and advising on all content creation and exploitation, including development, production, distribution, licensing, publishing, and interactive/new media. She is based at the company’s headquarters in Los Angeles.
Shapiro previously worked at Paramount Pictures in Worldwide Pay Television and Home Entertainment, and represented the studio on various MPAA committees, including Ancillary Rights, Digital Strategy and Anti-Piracy. She also worked at Sony Pictures, Genius Products, and Warner Home Entertainment & Digital Distribution. She started her career in private practice at Fried Frank in New York, and then Shearman & Sterling in New York and later Los Angeles, where she provided regulatory, bankruptcy, liability and litigation advice in connection with corporate, M&A, real estate and other commercial transactions.
Peter Brooke
Creative Supervisor
Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™
Peter Brooke is the Creative Supervisor for Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and is responsible for the conception, design and sculpt of each character and creature brought to life at the Shop’s Los Angeles location. His work can be seen in such films as Where the Wild Things Are, The Producers, Cats & Dogs, Dr. Dolittle and The Flintstones. Brooke has also worked on many of The Jim Henson Company’s television projects, most recently Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock on Apple TV+ and the Emmy®-winning Netflix original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance as well as The Storyteller and Dinosaurs. Brooke works closely with the creative team of each film and television project to guarantee that their vision is realized in the characters he creates. He also liaises with the Shop’s builders and supervises characters on set to ensure that the original concept and design style is maintained throughout the build and performance.
Brooke began his relationship with The Jim Henson Company in 1988 as a sculptor on Jim Henson’s The Storyteller and he relocated to the US when the company began production in Los Angeles on Dinosaurs in 1991.
Brooke’s own fine art sculpture work has received the Gold Medal for Best Sculpture from the California Art Club and the Award of Excellence from the Society of Animal Artists. His work has been featured in several magazines including Southwest Art, Art Talk, Art Revue and Wildlife Art News.
Melissa Segal
Head of Global Consumer Products
Melissa Segal is the Head of Global Consumer Products at The Jim Henson Company, managing and cultivating licensing partnerships for the Company’s library of classic and new properties.
Segal first joined The Jim Henson Company in 2009 as SVP of Global Consumer Products, spending five years launching worldwide licensing programs for the Company’s preschool catalog including Sid the Science Kid, Dinosaur Train, and Pajanimals. In 2014, she launched her own company, The M-Zone, a successful brand licensing agency that represents global family brands like Sesame Street, Highlights for Children and Age of Learning. Segal rejoined The Jim Henson Company in 2019.
Segal brings three decades of licensing partnership experience, including senior management roles at Disney, overseeing initiatives for such brands as Winnie the Pooh, 101 Dalmatians, and Toy Story.
Aileen Asher
Vice President
Financial Operations and Reporting
As Vice President of Financial Operations and Reporting at The Jim Henson Company, Aileen Asher manages the finance team and oversees financial reporting, tax support and treasury support. Asher, a Certified Public Accountant, joined Henson in 2012 as Director of Financial Operations specializing in Consumer Products.
Asher obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Cal State University Northridge. Her professional experience includes being a senior accountant at a Los Angeles public accounting firm and Manager of Financial Reporting and Financial Planning at Warner Bros. Consumer Products.
Asher is a native Angeleno. Outside of work, she spends time supporting families of children with cancer and binge watching tv.
Tara Billik
Vice President,
Feature Films
Tara Billik is Vice President of Feature Films at The Jim Henson Company, overseeing the Company’s fantasy, science fiction, animated and family film projects.
Before joining The Jim Henson Company in 2023, Billik was Vice President of Film & TV at Mythical Entertainment and Vice President of Development and Production at Gunpowder and Sky. She previously held creative development positions for producer Marianne Maddalena and Oscar winner Graham King’s GK Films. Billik began her career working for Wes Craven and has worked on a myriad of productions including Hugo, The Tourist, The Rum Diary, The Town, Rango, The Hills Have Eyes 2, Edge of Darkness, and more.
Originally from Michigan, Billik holds a B.A. in Film and Video Studies from The University of Michigan.
Faryal Ganjehei
Vice President Studio Operations,
Henson Recording Studios
Faryal Ganjehei joined The Jim Henson Company in 2000 as assistant to the Studio Manager of Henson Recording Studios.
She is now Vice President, Studio Operations, of the historic and prestigious Henson Recording Studios where her responsibilities include overseeing daily operations at the studio including monitoring client services and daily recording sessions. She is also responsible for booking the recording studios and manages the staff.
Ganjehei received a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies from California State University Northridge. She resides in Los Angeles.
Terri McAlpine
Vice President,
Human Resources
As Vice President of Human Resources, Terri McAlpine oversees all human resources functions for The Jim Henson Company. Based in the Company’s corporate headquarters in Hollywood, McAlpine joined the Company in 2021. She was previously HR lead for a variety of companies in the entertainment industry, including Digital Media Management, a top digital marketing and social media agency, as well as Relativity Media, and TMB, a distributor of production equipment for film, TV and live events. McAlpine started her human resources career in the video game industry at Spark Unlimited and Activision.
Kerry Novick
Vice President,
Global Distribution
As Vice President of Global Distribution, Kerry Novick oversees the worldwide sale and distribution of The Jim Henson Company’s content catalog to digital platforms, television networks, home entertainment distributors and theatrical exhibitors. In addition, she handles opportunities and potential partnerships involving co-production and co-financing of film and television projects.
Before joining The Jim Henson Company in 2022, Novick was the SVP of Global Sales and Co-Productions at Sparky Animation and the SVP of Global Business Development at Kidtagious Entertainment. She was also President of Small Screen Distribution, LLC., specializing in the sale of western content to territories in the Asian-Pacific region, including Henson properties Sid the Science Kid and Dinosaur Train. In addition, Novick held positions at Nelvana Enterprises and Sesame Workshop.
Novick received an MA in East Asian Studies with a Concentration in Marketing from Cornell University and a BA in Japanese Language and Literature from University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is fluent in Japanese.
Jason Renfro
Vice President,
Financial Operations and Reporting
As Vice President of Financial Operations and Reporting at The Jim Henson Company, Jason Renfro manages the finance team and oversees financial reporting, tax support and treasury support. He joined The Jim Henson Company in 2003 as Payroll Accountant.
Renfro holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Eastern Kentucky University and an Accounting Certification from The University of California, Los Angeles.
A big kid at heart, Renfro hails from Kentucky and enjoys all things southern. He loves going to concerts and watching movies. When he isn’t doing that, you can find him going on long walks with his adorable dog, Elli.
Howard Sharp
Vice President,
Administration
In his role as Vice President of Administration, Howard Sharp oversees the daily operations of the Henson lot which includes the commercial use of the production office space and the Company’s soundstage, a Hollywood landmark that is used for both production and private events for the Company as well as third party clients.
Howard joined The Jim Henson Company in 1995 in the New York office as assistant to the Manager of Administration and relocated to Los Angeles in 2004. He graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a degree in Communications and currently resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and two sons.
Karen Falk
Archives
Since 1992, Karen Falk has served as the Archives Director and historian for The Jim Henson Company and is Vice President of The Jim Henson Legacy. She is the author of Imagination Illustrated: The Jim Henson Journal and the main contributor to the Jim’s Red Book blog on Henson.com, featuring excerpts of Jim Henson’s personal journal with supporting archival material. As part of her work with The Jim Henson Legacy, she curated the Jim Henson’s Fantastic World traveling exhibit and has organized numerous Henson exhibits for museums and universities. Falk works closely with the Worlds of Puppetry Museum at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta on their Jim Henson Collection and special exhibitions. She collaborates with the Museum of the Moving Image in New York on their permanent Jim Henson Gallery and serves on their board. In addition, Falk has contributed to numerous publications, documentaries, web sites and video releases relating to the life and work of Jim Henson.
Kourtney Day
Senior Director of New Business Development,
Jim Henson’s Creature Shop
Kourtney Day is the Senior Director of New Business for Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, responsible for cultivating new global business and creative partnerships in film, television, advertising, live entertainment, and extended reality (VR, AR, and MR).
Day began her career at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in 2015 as a business development intern and was eventually promoted to Manager of Business Development. She worked on many notable projects including Universal Studios Hollywood’s Mr. Ping Experience for their Lunar New Year event, the walkaround suit for Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger, the feature film The Happytime Murders, Amblin Partner’s Come Play, and many more. She departed the Creature Shop in 2019 for Lionsgate where she acted as Manager, Global Live & Location Based Experiences and then Solomon Group as Business Development Manager, Themed Entertainment. She returned to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in 2022.
Day is currently Vice President of the Themed Entertainment Association’s Western Division Board. She graduated from Ithaca College in 2015 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Television Radio.